Managing Health in Construction – What Good Looks Like

www.breathefreely.org.uk www.bohs.org

Controlling Exposures to

Prevent occupational lung disease

in the construction industry

Managing Health in Construction – What Good Looks Like

Mike Slater

Diamond Environmental Ltd.

BOHS Immediate Past President 2015/16





This worker is exposed to dust containing silica that presents a serious risk to his health

Workers regularly exposed to silica containing dust can develop serious lung diseases

• Silicosis• Lung cancer• Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Disease (COPD)

Construction workers have a high risk of developing these diseases because many common construction tasks can create high dust levels.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthrisks/hazardous-substances/construction-dust-specific-tasks.htm

How many construction workers died last year due to their exposure to silica dust?

a) 25

b) 100

c) 500

d) 5000





Over 500 workers believed to die from exposure to silica dust every year





About 5 500 new occupational cancer cases in construction every year





76 000 cases of work-related ill health





WellbeingHealth

SurveillanceRisk Prevention

& Control





WellbeingHealth

Surveillance

Some employers in the construction industry are now starting to pay attention to occupational health but think it is about wellbeing and health surveillance





WellbeingHealth

SurveillanceRisk Prevention

& Control

But effective risk prevention and control is the key to protecting the health of construction workers

Recognise Evaluate Control

Occupational Hygiene

Occupational hygiene is the science and practice of achieving just that – a healthy working environment



Recognising that there’s a potential problem and evaluating the degree of risk are the first steps in this. They help to establish priorities



But they’re a means to an end – the end being effective control of the agents and other factors that create the risk





Prevention

Engineering

Work practices

PPE

There are many different measures that can be implemented. Some are more effective than others.

This is the basis of the “hierarchy of control”





The Breathe freely initiative has been launched by BOHS in conjunction with our partner organisations to raise awareness of the issues





Many materials used in the construction industry contain crystalline silica

Regular exposure to high levels of dust containing respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis and lung cancer





But the health risks can be prevented or minimised by the use of some readily available controls





Dust suppression using water





Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/copd/casestudies/wetcut.htm





Laboratory tests showed water suppression reduced dust levels by up to 99%

Measurements of the E€ectiveness of Dust Control onCut-o€ Saws Used in the Construction IndustryA. THORPE et al. Ann Occup Hyg Vol. 43, No. 7, pp. 443±456, 1999





On-tool extraction





Respirable Crystalline Silica concentrations were reduced by on-tool shrouds by … 99%

An Evaluation of On-Tool Shrouds for Controlling Respirable Crystalline Silica in Restoration Stone WorkCatherine B. Healy et al. Ann Occup Hyg

2014;58:1155-1167

A secondary water flow provided a fan-shaped water curtain sprayed normal to the path of the

ejected stone dust.

Jared H. Cooper et al. Ann Occup Hyg 2015;59:122-126

© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational

Hygiene Society.





Carpenters and joiners are likely to be exposed to wood dust





All types of wood dust can cause occupational asthma

Exposure to many hard wood dusts is also associated with nasal cancer





On-tool extraction is a practical solution on construction sites





Sweeping – can lead to high dust exposures





Use portable vacuums instead





But make sure they are Type H or Type M units to stop dust escaping through the filter





Working with cement can lead to dermatitis and other skin problems





Using simple tools can minimise skin contact





Hand held drills lead to exposure to noise and vibration

Here’s one solution





The Barbican in London – “Brutalist” architecture with lots of concrete

The rough surface was created manually

Using tools such as..





Bush Hammers





that would have created a lot of dust

Designers need to consider health risks to workers





BOHS is working on guidance for designers –prevent health risks by design and working methods

Crossrail have taken an integrated approach to health risk management

This case study is featured on the Breathe Freely website





Crossrail Control Solutions

• Material substitution and process modifications

• Engineering controls

• Administrative controls

• RPE

• Monitoring





What can YOU do?





What can you do?

Become an official

campaign supporter





What can you do?

Help us develop case

studies and good

practice examples





What can you do?

Spread the word

Join us and be part of the solution

www.breathefreely.org.uk

Managing Health in Construction – What Good Looks Like

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Managing Health in Construction – What Good Looks Like